Mindi Abair

In a career that spans seven solo albums and countless collaborations in the studio and live on stage, Mindi Abair has made her mark on a broad stretch of the musical landscape that includes jazz, pop, rock, R&B, soul, funk and more. The powerhouse saxophonist/vocalist has made scores of friends along the way and earned the respect of top-shelf artists representing every one of the aforementioned genres.

In addition to her acclaimed body of solo work that includes ten # 1 radio hits and close to half a million albums sold, Abair was the featured saxophonist on the 2011 and 2012 seasons of American Idol, jammed with Paul Shaffer on the Late Show with David Letterman and joined rock legends Aerosmith for their 2012 summer tour. More recently, Abair received a 2014 GRAMMY® nomination in the Best Pop Instrumental Album category for Summer Horns, a #1 recording with her friends Dave Koz, Gerald Albright and Richard Elliot, featuring four of the most pre-eminent saxophonists in contemporary music.

For her newest musical pursuit, she plunges headlong into vintage rock and soul territory, harkening back to the days when saxophone was an integral part of the musical landscape, with her latest recording, Wild Heart, set for release on May 27, 2014 on Heads Up, a division of Concord Music Group. (International release dates may vary)

In addition to the years of hard work and dedication leading up to these successes, some of the credit is due to an impressive pedigree. Abair’s paternal grandmother was an opera singer, and her father was a saxophonist and B3 player in a band called The Entertainers – a gig that kept the whole family on the road for several years of Mindi’s childhood. By the time the band broke up and the Abairs put down roots in St. Petersburg, Florida, five-year-old Mindi had already demonstrated musical aspirations of her own by taking up the piano.

She picked up the saxophone in the fourth grade and took part in every band program available in elementary, middle and high school. After a year at the University of North Florida, she transferred to Berklee College of Music, where she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in woodwind performance.

Abair recalls some wise counseling she received during her college years: “My saxophone teacher Joe Viola told me every week, ‘You have to start your own band. You’ve got your own sound. Don’t practice a bunch of David Sanborn or Wayne Shorter licks. Go out and make your own mark.’ It was the best advice anyone could have given me.”

She took the advice and ran with it, all the way to the opposite coast. She landed in Los Angeles, where she began a long dues-paying process that included touring gigs with Teena Marie, John Tesh, Bobby Lyle and Jonathan Butler. When she was home from the road, she booked her own band in just about any club that would have them. And on those occasions when none would, she played on the streets of Santa Monica. “I didn’t want to wait tables when I had a music degree from the foremost contemporary music school in the world. I came here to play,” she says. “I’d take my horn down to 3rd Street Promenade and just play. I paid my rent for quite a few months by doing that.”

Abair released her first album, the independently-produced Always and Never the Same, in 1999, while touring with the Backstreet Boys. By the beginning of the new decade, the combination of nonstop performing and her well-received indie release had helped solidify her musical identity. “By the time I signed on with Verve in 2002,” she says, “I really knew who I was as an artist. I knew what I wanted to say, and every artist I’d toured with on the way here helped me shape who I was.”

Known for writing the bulk of her own material, It Just Happens That Way, Abair’s major label debut in 2003, was the first in a string of chart-topping solo recordings on Verve that also included I Can’t Wait for Christmas (2004), Come As You Are (2005) and Life Less Ordinary (2007). She made the move to Peak, a division of Concord Music Group, with the 2008 release of Stars, an album that showcased – more than any of her previous recordings – her attractive vocal work as an engaging counterpoint to her solid saxophone chops. In Hi-Fi Stereo, released in 2010, paid tribute to the sounds of the ’60s and early ’70s harkening back to artists such as King Curtis and Junior Walker, icons that influenced Mindi from a young age.

Her two seasons on American Idol in 2011 and 2012 led to her joining Aerosmith as their first saxophonist since 1973 for their 2012 Summer Global Warming Tour. And Clarence Clemons’ untimely death led to her touring with Max Weinberg and a night at the Beacon Theater with Bruce Springsteen.

“I got off those tours, and I had this burst of electric energy to make some music of my own,” says Abair. “Those tours really affected what I was feeling and what I was writing. I had spent so many nights on stage with these guys who were sweating and bleeding and giving it all for their audience. I wanted that strength and that abandon on my record, and I was inspired to make that happen.”

As Wild Heart was starting to take shape, Abair joined a group called Summer Horns, assembled by fellow saxophonist Dave Koz for a record and tour. The lineup also included Richard Elliot and Gerald Albright. The resulting sax foursome crafted a record that paid tribute to the great horn bands of the late ’60s and early ’70s, including Tower of Power, Chicago, Earth, Wind & Fire, Sly & the Family Stone and Blood, Sweat & Tears. The Summer Horns recording scored a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Recording, a validation of not only the collective talent on the record itself, but also of the lasting impact and influence of the music of that era.

And if writing, recording and touring weren’t enough, Abair also began a two-year term in 2013 as President of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS). “It’s been a very eye-opening and inspiring role,” she says. “What an honor to serve as a leader in the most pre-eminent organization of the music business. This is a group of people who give back constantly to inspire and strengthen the next generation of music makers, and they remind me daily what beautiful power we hold as creators of music.”

That sense of power and reach has become part of Abair’s creative philosophy in recent years and has made its way into her music as well. “I’ve recorded, toured and collaborated with so many artists representing so many styles of music,” she says. “I’m the luckiest person in the world to be surrounded by such talent and true artistry. I don’t care about labels or boundaries or preconceptions with music. I just want to play and create and keep moving forward.”

Barry Manilow ’s previously scheduled concert at the Wolstein Center on Thursday, February 26, is now scheduled to take place on Monday, March 30.

Tickets issued for the original February 26 date will be honored on Monday, March 30. Patrons holding tickets for the original date are encouraged to use them for the new date; no exchange is necessary. Please contact the point-of-purchase for more information.

Barry’s ONE LAST TIME! Tour hit the road two weeks ago, and played Omaha, Kansas City, Chicago and Detroit. The show is scheduled to travel to Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Seattle and more before performing for the first time at Barclays Center in his native Brooklyn on the superstar’s June 17th birthday.

Milwaukee, Cleveland and Washington, D.C.
Dates Rescheduled to Next Week

We regret to inform you that Barry Manilow ’s three concerts scheduled this week in Milwaukee, Cleveland and Washington, D.C. are being rescheduled for next week. We’re all very sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.

The affected cities are:

Milwaukee (was scheduled for Tuesday, February 24) will now be on Monday, March 2

Cleveland (was scheduled for Thursday, February 26) will be announced soon

Washington, D.C. (was scheduled for Friday, February 27) will now be on Wednesday, March 4

All show times remain 7:30, and Dave Koz will be the opening act.

Tickets issued for the original dates will be honored at the rescheduled dates. Patrons holding tickets for the original dates are encouraged to use them for the new date; no exchange is necessary. Please contact the point-of-purchase for more information.

Again, we’re terribly sorry for any inconvenience, but we look forward to seeing you next week.

Barry’s ONE LAST TIME! Tour hit the road two weeks ago, and played Omaha, Kansas City, Chicago and Detroit. The show is scheduled to travel to Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Seattle and more before performing for the first time at Barclays Center in his native Brooklyn on the superstar’s June 17th birthday

The Rippingtons

Fans that have followed Russ Freeman and The Rippingtons for any stretch of time over the past quarter century know the versatile award winning and Grammy nominated guitarist/composer, and producer has long had a penchant for naming songs and albums after exotic places (Aruba, Kenya, Morocco, Weekend in Monaco, Sahara, etc).

In recent years, Freeman has noticed that The Rippingtons' fan base has increased exponentially, as the group's longtime admirers transfer their passion for the music to their children. Several Rippingtons albums have been inspired by Freeman's travels, and collectively, they have formed the life soundtrack for hundreds of thousands of contemporary jazz fans worldwide for a quarter century.

The titles of each hit Ripps album has often reflected Freeman's deep wanderlust, whether he had actually been to the places he wrote about or was just dreaming of them in musical terms. These include Kilimanjaro, Tourist in Paradise, Welcome to the St. James Club, Weekend In Monaco, Live in L.A., Sahara, Brave New World and Live Across America. In 2006, the band celebrated two decades of instrumental magic with The Rippingtons 20th Anniversary, a remarkable CD/DVD package that included a CD of all new Ripps music and a DVD featuring a colorful retrospective as well as exciting videos from over the years.

On their latest Peak Records album, Russ Freeman and The Rippingtons take their lucky fans on a trip of a lifetime to Cote D'Azur. Traveling with them is their trademark jazz cat, by artist Bill Mayer, who again graces the CD cover art. Next time out, who knows? Freeman's musical passport still has a lot of open space to be stamped, and the journey continues!

Richard Elliot

Saxophonist Richard Elliot has arrived at a very special anniversary for blowing audiences away with his soulfully robust playing. 2014 marks 30 years since the release of his debut solo album, Initial Approach (ITI – 1984), on which he stepped out showcasing his tenor sax, soprano sax, Lyricon and writing skills. What does a red-blooded Scottish sax man raised in Los Angeles – now with a wife and five children – do for a 30-year encore? Well, this one-time member of the classic soul band Tower of Power proves he’s “not a young man” and drops the most overtly sensual, romantic and intimate album of his career in collaboration with contemporary jazz production/guitar giant Paul Brown. The title of this 17th solo project is Lip Service (the artist’s first for Heads Up/Concord Music Group).

The 10-song Lip Service features seven all new original compositions with teasing titles such as “Sookie Sookie” and “All the Way,” as well as three choice covers of soul and pop hits from the ’80s (“Shining Star” by The Manhattans), the ’90s (“Anytime” by Brian McKnight) and today (“When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars).

“It’s not a radical departure,” Elliot says with a chuckle, “just a softer edge. The intensity is still there, just channeled in a different way. I’ve been madly in love with my wife Camella for 20 years (courtship and marriage combined). Romance has always been an important part of our relationship. With five children, there’s never a dull moment in our home but we always take time away for us…something we never had to work at. It just gets better every year - and that’s not Lip Service!”

Two-time GRAMMY Award-winning record producer Paul Brown also influenced the dim lights/rising passion direction of Lip Service. “I have to give credit for the seed of that concept to Paul,” Elliot admits. “The first time I ever worked with him on a full project was for my album Jumpin’ Off (Metro Blue – 1997). Prior to that, I was a guest on records he produced by Peter White and others. We maintained a great relationship. Recently we got reacquainted on Dave Koz’s Summer Horns. Toward the end of recording when he found out I was about to start on my next record, Paul threw out the idea of me doing something more romantic. Everything that I do has to apply on a personal level or else I can’t feel connected. So I thought about it, decided this concept worked perfect for me and we had a great time.”

“My records tend to be potluck things,” Elliot continues, “constantly shifting in terms of feel: some hard things, then some soft. Not to say that I haven’t used concepts. Metro Blue (2005) was a Euro-Funk thing. Rock Steady (2009) was a tribute to my influences growing up, which was all about R&B music. Lip Service is a different deal. We definitely slowed it down a bit.”

A Southern Californian to the core, Elliot commuted on L.A.’s notoriously choked 405 Freeway to get this job done. “I feel naked if I don’t have my car. I do a lot of creative thinking when I’m driving – gathering thoughts in terms of direction. I live in San Diego so I would make the pilgrimage to L.A.to work in Paul’s studio – braving the traffic, chilling for a minute then jumping into it. We’d have ‘song starts’ from folks like Jeff Carruthers, then I would put melodies to them using Paul as that all-important sounding board. Together we were literally writing melodies while we were recording.” Another standout is the evening driver “City Lights,” which was brought in by New York-based keyboardist Bob Baldwin. “I’ve known Bob for years and love his music,” Elliot states. “This one had such a nice vibe and is a departure from the rest of the record. It’s got a romantic, night time feel but reminiscent of classic contemporary jazz stuff. It felt really good.”

One point Elliot hopes to get across is that an album soaking in an aura of romance doesn’t have to be solely about sex. “We didn’t want everything sounding like a hot and heavy Minor 7th vibe. Playfulness is good, too. ‘Sweet Spot’ (a warm wave of guitars and sax intoxication) and ‘Givin’ it Up’ (a gentle rock steady groove) have that aspect.” The opening number “Desire” laid the blueprint for what Elliot and Brown sought to capture. “That song morphed through a bunch of iterations. It set the tone of the record with a Latin feel. When you’re searching for a sound, there’s a tendency to throw a lot of stuff at a song from a production standpoint. Instead, we pulled stuff out of ‘Desire.’ Minimalist from an arranging standpoint, the more air and space there was created a better canvas for my saxophone.”

The cover songs are all inspired choices, each challenging in their own way. The Manhattans’ “Shining Star,” which Richard suggested, is given a bluesy feel with a horn arrangement by Tower of Power veteran Greg Adams. Brian McKnight’s “Anytime,” closing the album in lovingly layered afterglow, was suggested by Brown, arranged by keyboardist Tracy Carter and temporarily intimidated Elliot. “I thought to myself, ‘Best not to overanalyze.’ We got the arrangement together, cut the rhythm section then I had a glass of wine, took a deep breath and dived in.”

Poetically, the remaining cover of Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man” was suggested by Elliot’s wife. “Camella said, ‘You have to listen to this!’ I’ve loved that guy since he started. His roots clearly come from Soul music and bands like I was, and he’s worked hard for years to get to where he is now. So, naturally, I feel an affinity with him. I was already familiar with the song and Camella’s got a really good intuition for songs like that. She reminded me that I recorded ‘Over the Rainbow’ with just sax and piano (from On the Town – 1991) and it was one of the biggest songs on the album. I ended up using acoustic piano with just a bit of B3 organ (both played by Lew Laing). Then I went through a bunch of versions of my performance ’til we got something straddling the fence between sensitive and having some intensity.”

Slow burning intensity has been Richard Elliot’s stock-in-trade since debuting as a member of the novel Chapman Stick-based quartet Kittyhawk in 1979 at the age of 19. With influences ranging from Grover Washington, Jr. to John Klemmer, his broad range of saxual expression knows no bounds. He has topped charts and toured the world as a leader as well as with the innovative groups Guitars & Saxes and Summer Horns (Mindi Abair, Gerald Albright and Dave Koz), the latter of whom he’ll be on the road with all summer 2014 (debuting a selection or two from Lip Service) before continuing on with his own shows in the fall. It’s the unabashed excitement from concert fans that drives him to this day.

Looking back on the 16 solo projects that led to Lip Service, Elliot concludes, “I’ve never counted my albums. I tend to do a record every year-and-a half or two. It just goes by so quickly. I still love what I do. Recording is a fun yet arduous process… but I never get tired of playing live. I always say I play my concerts for free and get paid for everything else I have to do the other 23 hours of the day! It’s a privilege to play music for a living…and I never take a gig for granted.”

Jonathan Butler

South African singer-songwriter-guitarist Jonathan Butler is tending to his herb garden at his suburban Los Angeles valley home. Growing tomatoes, bell peppers, rosemary, sage and thyme, his new pastime that he says gives him “a new sense of heaven” is part of a mindset he’s cultivated that he’s dubbed “the season of me.” The musical counterpart to this harvest season in the two-time Grammy nominee’s life is “Living My Dream,” a bountiful feast of organically-nurtured contemporary jazz instrumentals and soul-mined R&B vocal cuts – all original songs that he produced and tracked live in the House of Blues studio in Los Angeles.

“Each album is a page of your life and this is the season of Jonathan Butler, the season of me. It took years for me to be able to use the term ‘living my dream.’ I had to grow in my confidence and comfort and security first,” says Butler. “It’s one of those albums that I really didn’t think I had in me. I had been struggling going through this emotional period. Last year was a transitional period. Once I got my wind and got back to a place of focus, it turned out to be the best experience for me. I had to be vulnerable to the songs. It was magical tracking the album and I felt surrounded by the positive vibes from everyone in the studio, especially (daughter) Jodie (Butler) and Dennis Dodd Jr. They beat me up to write every day. They motivated and pushed me, and kept me focused. When others believe in you, it’s nothing to take lightly. Jodie and Dennis believed in me and I think we did something great on this album. I kept the production natural. These are all original compositions that came from the heart. It’s a classic Jonathan Butler album.”

Like Butler’s best material from a diverse, award-winning and chart-topping career that’s spanned R&B, jazz, pop and gospel, “Living My Dream” provides an honest and revealing soulfully-inspired songbook probing the artist’s life and loves: God, family and his homeland. “It’s the story of my life and the newness of discovery. These really are the best years of my life. I consider all that has happened so that I may gain the knowledge of Christ. What I’m going through, what I’ve been through and what I will go through is going to make me better. It’s a healthy piece of my life. Forgetting all that is behind me and all that lies ahead, I press on,” shares Butler, who often references scripture in conversation.

The set opens with the instrumental “African Breeze,” the first radio single that was originally penned by Butler 30 years ago for “The Jewel of the Nile” soundtrack, a big Hollywood movie starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. “I wanted to redo it and make it a now experience,” he says of the brisk energetic African-hued dancer with the festive melody plucked on nylon string guitar.

The down-tempo title cut cruises an R&B groove highlighted by horn fills and a trademark electric guitar-vocal scat from Butler mid-tune. “I love the urban-ness. It’s old school with real urban grit. It’s about enjoying where I’m at in life. It’s a cool groove that really comes alive,” says Butler about the song he memorably debuted live last August at the iconic Hollywood Bowl with Jodie Butler singing background vocals.

Writing and recording the gorgeous meditative instrumental “Be Still” during George Duke’s final days taught Butler a lesson. “I went to hang with him and he took me into his wine cellar. We sat for 4-5 hours and George spoke the entire time. I didn’t even speak. He just opened up about family, our wives, faith, and relationships. I had to remind him that I came to write a song with him. I picked up my guitar and the song came so easy and fast. George taught me to connect first as friends before making music. The song has a lot of emotion and was named for one of George’s favorite scriptures.”

Marcus Miller played on “Be Still” as well as on the mid-tempo R&B instrumental “Let There Be Light,” which the legendary bassist-songwriter-producer wrote with Butler, who illuminates on nylon string guitar. Saxophonist Elan Trotman graces the track with soprano sax elegance. “I played him a few notes and Marcus just heard it all. The song is reminiscent of the Marcus Miller-David Sanborn collaborations.”

Butler wrote the R&B-pop confessional “Heart and Soul” in twenty minutes while tears flowed. “It blows my mind. It’s a true reflection, an apologetic love song. It’s the essence, the heart of where I was at the time. It’s a testimonial.”

Dodd Jr. penned “Song For You,” which takes a bit of a different detour. The undeniably infectious R&B-pop tune has a shuffling beat infused with reggae nuances and Butler’s cool-toned electric guitar. “It’s a fun song and we threw in the horns just for fun. It adds a nice flavor to the record. It’s part of the unique story I’m trying to share with everybody. It’s not my song yet it affects me and tells part of my story. It connected with me and it’s different than what people would expect from me. I’d rather not make the same music over and over again.”

Butler speaks through a laid back electric guitar instrumental adorned with rousing, churchlike organ on “Catembe,” named for a place where he hopes to live one day in the Indian Ocean in Mozambique near Maputo.

An urban adult romancer, “Night To Remember” makes tantalizing electric guitar overtures amidst a vocal duet from Jonathan and Jodie Butler. “Jodie is pretty savvy as a songwriter. She has some amazing ideas. I’m proud of her.”

“All About Love” begins with an extended vocal and keyboard intro before a sophisticated R&B beat kicks in. “It talks about the family – this household – these women that I love so much,” reveals Butler, a dedicated family man.

Butler closes the session with a pair of poignant nylon string guitar instrumentals. The first composition Butler wrote for “Living My Dream,” “Sweet Serenade” is a poetic beauty with drama underscored by a horn section. A solemn, bluesy offering that was written at sound check, “A Prayer” stirs the heavens with celestial vocal harmonization. “I’m fortunate to work with some of the best young Israeli musicians, including Davy Nathan, who plays keyboards with Babyface and Toni Braxton. I love the chant part that Jodie and I sang at the end. That’s where the prayer comes in.”

The youngest of 13 children, Butler grew up in destitute in Cape Town, South African ruled by Apartheid and segregation. “I was born poor, but richly blessed with talent and the gift to make music,” he says. “I can’t dismiss where I’ve been or where I’ve come from. I’m a proud South African and I came from nothing.”

Butler began his singing career at age seven, releasing his first album in 1973 and winning the Best New Artist Grammy in South Africa the following year at age twelve. He made history by being the first black artist played on white South African radio while earning three gold records (“Please Stay” went double gold and “I Love How You Love Me” went gold) in 1975 as he became a teenager.

More than a decade later, Butler moved to London, England after signing with Jive Records and released his first album internationally. The self-titled set went gold in 1987 in the United Kingdom and in the USA. He received Grammy nominations for Best R&B Song for his R&B-pop vocal hit “Lies” and for Best Jazz Song for the instrumental “Going Home.” His genre-busting material earned songwriter’s awards and received abundant airplay in multiple radio formats: pop, urban, contemporary jazz, adult contemporary and gospel. Butler’s 2004 album, “Surrender,” went gold in South Africa where he remains a superstar. “I don’t think I’ve ever really celebrated these moments in my life. I’ve spent my whole life taking care of people ever since I was seven. And I’m grateful, but this is the season of me.”

Butler is still taking care of people back home. Last fall, he launched the Jonathan Butler Foundation in his native country to fund music education programs that give children the purpose to overcome a life of drugs and poverty just as he did. The music and arts programs serving South African children ages 4-17 operate with the mission statement “Purpose kills addiction.”

“I’m very proud that this is my legacy, giving back to people in South Africa. I’m happy to inspire these young kids and I’m extremely proud and encouraged about reclaiming our children from drug lords by teaching them how to sing and play instruments. The (South African) government has stepped in to find ways to progressively move and get more people involved. We’ve been in Pretoria and Johannesburg since we started and we’ll be launching in Cape Town in October. It’s so important to be in that city because it’s where I’m from,” explains Butler about the foundation that aims to launch a satellite component in the U.S. this year to increase assistance in South Africa.

Another aspect of Butler’s “season of me” is his blossoming love affair with golf. He’s only been playing slightly more than a year, but he’s smitten and plays almost daily, often with other musicians. “I’m not sure how golf took over, but it attached itself to me. I can go out on the golf course and have ‘guy time.’ I’m completely taken over by this little white ball. I’m so at peace and calm when I’m out there and so relaxed after playing, which I never thought would be the case since I’ve never been a sports guy. I wasn’t trying to find another passion, but it actually found me. Golf has become my saving grace and has given me a look inside me. I think it’s the freedom. It’s amazing how much it’s given me.”

In concert, Butler remains a captivating and powerful performer pouring his heart into selections from his immense catalogue. In addition to being a popular draw at headline dates, festival shows and music cruises, Butler thrives on interacting with his fans. For the past four years, he has led a group of 35 guests each fall on the Jonathan Butler Safari during which he shares his South Africa by visiting important landmarks in his life as well as historic locales such as the prison on Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was jailed.

“I’ve come to a really good place in my life even if finding my way there was tough. I’m living my dream and it’s amazing what God is doing - seeing all these things through tears and pain. Seeing God place me in these extraordinary places and opportunities…if I couldn’t see it, I’d really be blind and faithless. I need to hold onto the love surrounding me. I had never really dropped my shoulders to embrace it. It took shedding my skin, realigning and readjusting myself as a person, honestly looking at how I can become a better person, which affects my family. We stood together through difficult periods and it taught me not to make too many allowances in life of which I had been making too many. It was a trying time and a difficult year emotionally and personally, but I did a lot of reflecting over the past two years and I’m in a good place,” summarizes Butler.

During an extraordinary musical life that has unfolded in the public eye, Butler has seen and endured a lot. He’s watched his country turn itself inside out for the better - much like he has done with his own life. Living and witnessing the brutalities and injustice of oppression as a celebrated child star while at the same time not permitted to enjoy basic human rights, indulgence naturally became his coping device. If not for a spiritual intervention, his light would have been extinguished long ago on the mercilessly dark path of abuse and self-destruction. His music has purpose, providing comfort and genuine inspiration. When he sings, he testifies to the glory and healing power of love. When he plays guitar, his fast fingers innately find notes of passion and divinity. Jonathan Butler’s recording career has carried him far, far beyond his wildest dreams. He’s living his dream and that is a blessing for us all.

So proud to make it official! Spaghettini & The Dave Koz Lounge formally opened on Monday, Jananuary 26th with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Canon Drive with Beverly HIlls Mayor Lili Bosse and Chamber Of Commerce. A proud day! Come visit us!

Spaghettini & the Dave Koz Lounge owners Cary Hardwick, Laurie Sisneros, and nine-time GRAMMY nominated saxophonist Dave Koz announce their official ribbon cutting ceremony with the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce on Monday, January 26, 2015 from 4-6 p.m. The restaurant and lounge has wowed guests by elevating the fine dining and live music experience in Los Angeles, offering sophisticated, Italian-inspired California food from Executive Chef Scott Howard, followed by world-class entertainment in a state-of-the-art music venue, curated by Koz himself.

After the formal ribbon cutting ceremony with Mayor Lili Bosse on Canon Drive, guests are invited to celebrate the grand opening by enjoying special surprise musical entertainment, in addition to complimentary champagne, amuse-bouches, and other hors d’oeuvres.

“It has been an absolute dream, opening Spaghettini & the Dave Koz Lounge in the heart of Beverly Hills,” says Hardwick. “We waited for seven years to find the perfect place, and now we’re celebrating our presence with Mayor Bosse. Having so many distinguished artists perform on our stage during the first month has been a whirlwind, and we can’t wait for the months to come!” The new restaurant and lounge has seen performances from such celebrated and venerated musicians as Dave Koz, Matt Goss, Eric Benét, Gerald Albright, Tower of Power, Johnny Mathis, Kenny Lattimore, Eric Marienthal, Terry Steele, Mindi Abair, Michael Lington, and Larry Carlton, among numerous others.

To execute his menu of California fare with Italian sensibilities, Executive Chef Scott Howard works with only the finest available local and seasonal ingredients, offering starters, salads, pastas, and entrées from the “ocean” and “land” that rotate to reflect the seasons and improvisations of the chef. Spaghettini & the Dave Koz Lounge is open for dinner nightly, and features live music five days per week, including during Sunday brunch with 94.7 THE WAVE broadcasting live.

Stanley Clarke

Four-time Grammy™ winner Stanley Clarke is quite possibly the most celebrated acoustic and electric bassist in the world. As a performer, composer, conductor, arranger, recording artist, producer, and film scorer known for his ferocious dexterity and consummate musicality, Clarke is a true pioneer in jazz and of the bass itself. Unquestionably he is a “living legend,” lauded with every conceivable award available to a musician in his over 40-year career as a bass virtuoso.

Clarke’s incredible proficiency has been rewarded with: four Grammys, gold and platinum records, Emmy nominations, an honorary Doctorate from Philadelphia’s University of the Arts, and much more. He was Rolling Stone’s very first Jazzman of the Year and bassist winner of Playboy’s Music Award for ten straight years. Clarke was honored with Bass Player Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award and is a member of Guitar Player Magazine’s “Gallery of Greats.” He was even given the key to the city of Philadelphia.

Digging through the great multitude of accolades bestowed upon Stanley reveals an interesting phenomenon. It is difficult to remember how limited the potential career path of a bass player was before he came on the scene. Stanley almost single-handedly took the bass out of the shadows and brought it to the very front of the stage, literally and figuratively.

The traditional role of the bass was largely one of time-keeping that sonically filled out the spectrum. Clarke says: “Before I came along a lot of bass players stood in the back. They were very quiet kind of guys who didn’t appear to write music. But many of those bass players were serious musicians. All that I did was just take the step and create my own band.”

Certainly there were great and celebrated bass players before Stanley like Ron Carter, Scott LaFaro, and the pioneering composer Charles Mingus. But Clarke became the first bassist in history to headline sold-out world tours and have gold albums. He was also the first to double on acoustic and electric bass with equal virtuosity, power, and fire. By the time he was 25 years old, he was already regarded as a pioneer in the jazz fusion movement.

Clarke cites Mingus as a great influence personally and professionally. “The greatest moment in my life that changed me was having dinner with the great Charlie Mingus. He had the personality of a revolutionary that could have run a paramilitary group. He was very intense, heavy! That’s when I realized exactly what I wanted to do with the bass. I was going to approach my career completely like a revolutionary. Whatever was there, I was going to do the opposite.” The rest, as they say, literally is history.

Interestingly electric bass, for which Stanley is most renowned, is not his principal instrumental. His first passion, which carries to this day, is for the acoustic bass. “Electric bass is my secondary instrument. When I first started playing electric it was at parties and just for having fun. But I made records and got famous more as an electric bass player than as an acoustic bass player.”

In 1971, 20-year-old Stanley Clarke exploded into the jazz world, fresh out of the Philadelphia Academy of Music. Arriving in New York City, he immediately landed jobs with bandleaders such as Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon, Joe Henderson, Pharaoh Saunders, Gil Evans, Stan Getz, and a budding young pianist-composer named Chick Corea. Stanley says: “my original goal was to be a classical bassist. I wanted to be one of the first black musicians in the Philadelphia orchestra. Chick Corea changed my mind about that.”

Clarke and Corea formed the wildly influential jazz fusion band Return to Forever, a showcase for each of the quartet’s strong musical personalities, composing prowess, and instrumental voices. They recorded eight albums, two of which are certified gold (Return to Forever and Romantic Warrior). They also won a Grammy (No Mystery) and received numerous nominations while touring incessantly.

Clarke then fired the “shot heard ‘round the world” that started the 1970s bass revolution and paved the way for all bassist/soloist/bandleaders to follow. In 1974, he released the eponymous Stanley Clarke album which featured the hit single, “Lopsy Lu.” Two years later, he released School Days, an album whose title track is now a bona fide bass anthem, a must-learn for nearly every up-and-coming bassist, regardless of genre.

Aspiring bassists must also master the percussive slap funk technique that Clarke pioneered as well. Sly and the Family Stone’s Larry Graham first developed the rudimentary slap technique. Stanley took the idea and ran with it, adapting it to complex jazz harmonies.

Always in search of new challenges, Clarke turned his boundless creative energy to film and television scoring in the mid-1980s. He is now an elite in-demand composer in Hollywood. Starting in television with an Emmy-nominated score for Pee Wee’s Playhouse, he transitioned to the silver screen and now has over 65 credits to his name.

As composer, orchestrator, conductor, and performer he has scored blockbuster films: Boyz ‘N the Hood, What’s Love Got To Do With It?, The Transporter, Romeo Must Die, Passenger 57, Poetic Justice, and The Five Heartbeats. He also scored the Michael Jackson video Remember the Time, directed by Jon Singleton. More recently he scored the 2013 box-office hit, Best Man Holliday. He has been nominated for three Emmys and won a BMI Award for Boyz ‘N the Hood.

“Film has given me the opportunity to write large orchestral scores and compose music I’m not normally associated with,” says Clarke. “It has given me the chance to conduct orchestras and arrange music for various types of ensembles. It has focused my skills and made me a more complete musician.” His 1995 CD release, Stanley Clarke at the Movies, is a testament to this. Stanley promises that he will find time to release At the Movies Two compiled from the 20 additional years of film scores since then.

In addition to his own band, Clarke has always enjoyed collaborating with other artists. Stanley teamed up with keyboardist George Duke in 1981 to form the Clarke/Duke Project. Together they scored a top 20 pop hit, “Sweet Baby,” and recorded three albums. Stanley worked with George in various situations for over 40 years until George’s untimely passing in 2013.

Clarke passionately believes in helping young worthy musicians. He and his wife Sofia established The Stanley Clarke Foundation in 2000, a charitable organization which offers music scholarships. In 2007 Clarke released a critically-lauded DVD entitled Night School: An Evening with Stanley Clarke and Friends chronicling the third annual Stanley Clarke Scholarship Concert with proceeds going to the fund. The concert features Stevie Wonder, Wallace Roney, Bela Fleck, Sheila E., Stewart Copeland, Flea from The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Wayman Tisdale, and Marcus Miller.

To this day Stanley Clarke remains as passionate about music as that young prodigy from Philadelphia with big dreams. His journey has already been epic and storied. Yet it is far from over.